News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond. The Thaiger delivers the latest national news that matters.
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The 5 most common travel emergencies in Thailand and how to be prepared
Thailand is a popular destination known for its dynamic culture, stunning beaches, and bustling cities however, travellers can face unexpected travel emergencies that include medical issues, road accidents, petty theft, and natural disasters. To ensure a safe and enjoyable trip,...
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Passengers left waiting hours at Bangkok’s new central train station
The opening of Bangkok‘s new central train station Bangkok Aphiwat Central Station did not go so smoothly yesterday with the first service to Chiang Mai departing three hours later than scheduled and many more delayed services. BBC Thai and CH7 report that services were delayed to await the arrival of Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob, who was rather late to an…
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Statue mixing Hindu and Buddhist themes draws tourist in northeast Thailand
Tourists and worshippers alike are oohing and aahing at a statue in northeast Thailand that combines Hindu and Buddhist themes. The Sri Suk Ganesha statue in Udon Thani province portrays the Hindu deity Ganesha, sitting on the coils of Naga, a Thai serpent god. Naga’s nine heads stare down at Ganesha, who holds several objects in his eight hands. Worshippers…
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Ferris wheel cabin door falls off and knocks out Isaan man
A young Thai man was attending the Red Cross Fair in Buriram province, northeast Thailand, last week when a 20 kilogramme Ferris wheel cabin door fell on top of him from a height of 10 metres and knocked him out. A rescue team rushed to the event in Lam Prai Mart district to give first aid to 21 year old…
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Pattaya bar owner allegedly punches Russian tourist in face over 60 baht bill
A Pattaya bar owner allegedly punched a Russian tourist in the face over his refusal to pay his 60 baht bill. Jane, the 53 year old owner of the Bonzi Bar in South Pattaya, apparently didn’t back down from admitting she was the one who punched the tourist. The Russian was identified only as “Michel,” and was reportedly on the…
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Custodied cryptocurrencies to see new regulations in Thailand
Custodied cryptocurrencies will see new regulations in Thailand. The Securities and Exchange Commission of Thailand issued new measures which require companies offering crypto custody services to “establish a digital wallet management system to accommodate efficient custody of digital assets and keys and ensure the safety of clients’ assets.” The new regulations went into effect on January 16th. The new measures…
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Andaz brand debuts in Thailand with the opening of Andaz Pattaya jomtien beach
Press Release CHICAGO (January 16, 2023) – Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today the opening of Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach, marking the debut of the Andaz brand in Thailand. Nestled across over 15 acres (6.4 hectares) of stunning beachfront land, amid mature trees and gardens overlooking the Gulf of Thailand, this luxury lifestyle resort provides a myriad of ways…
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Southeast Asia’s biggest railway station opens to passengers
Southeast Asia’s biggest railway station officially began operations yesterday, a potential new age of train travel in Thailand. The cost of the new terminal, including the station, tracks and a connecting station for Bangkok’s mass transit system, was around US$1 billion (30 billion baht). Officially, the station’s name is Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal, a name bestowed by the king,…
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Super Mario theme park to open in California ahead of new film
Super Mario is getting its first theme park outside of Japan by way of the US state of California. The Nintendo-themed park is set to open next month just weeks before the old-school characters grace the Hollywood big screen. According to Japan Today, Super Nintendo World will be part of Universal Studios Hollywood- an amusement park that has seen the likes…
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Millions of Chinese head home to countryside despite Xi’s Covid worries
Millions of Chinese residents are headed back home for the Chinese New Year despite President Xi Jinping’s worries about Covid spreading through rural areas. Xi said he was “concerned” about the countryside’s ability to handle a surge in Covid infections, but China’s transport authorities are predicting more than two billion trips will be made this month and into next month.…
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Passengers at Bangkok’s main train terminal to get help from new robots
Passengers at Bangkok’s Krung Thep Aphiwat Train Terminal will be getting help from new service robots. The massive train station, formerly known as Bang Sue Grand Station, will feature six robots which can communicate in English, Thai and Chinese. The robots can guide passengers to certain locations in the train station such as the food centre, ticket booths, and taxis.…
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Thailand welcomes 900,000 foreign tourists during Jan 1-15
In the first half of January, Thailand welcomed a grand total of 913,013 foreign tourists, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Governor of the TAT Yuthasak Supsasorn revealed that Russia has overtaken Malaysia as the Number 1 tourism market… Foreign Arrivals in Thailand by Nationality January 1 – 15, 2023 Russians (99,593) Malaysians (89,461) South Koreans (47,471) Indians…
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Get connected with Thailand’s top cannabis shops, farms, and wholesalers on WEED.in.th
Since the decriminalization of cannabis in Thailand on June 9th, over 2,540 cannabis-related storefront businesses have emerged, and more than 50,000 reviews have been submitted for these businesses. In addition to the proliferation of storefronts, over 1,125,000 residents have registered for permission to cultivate cannabis in record-breaking time. In response to the growing demand for cannabis in Thailand, the team…
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Thai man uses soy sauce to fake suicide, hoping to win wife back
A Thai man used soy sauce to fake suicide on Monday in hopes of winning back his wife and son. The man, 50 year old Watchara, was estranged from his wife, 40 year old Pla, due to conflicts between the couple. He lives in the southern Chumphon province, while she lives in Pattaya. On Monday, Watchara travelled to Pattaya, hoping…
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New public park in Bangkok to open after removal of 2 squatters
A new public park in Bangkok is opening soon. The construction of Pathum Wananurak Park was finished five years ago but it has never been opened to the public because two squatting families refused to move off the land. Pathum Wananurak Park is located next to CentralWorld shopping mall. The park took over a residential area called Rong Poon Community…
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Rare clouded leopard struts its stuff in Thailand’s new wildlife safe haven
In the mountains of Kanchanaburi in western Thailand, hidden cameras are capturing more and more clouded leopards, Indo-Chinese tigers, gaurs, and other wildlife. Recognising the importance of the conservation of Thailand’s wildlife, Thailand’s Treasury Department is preparing to declare an area of land covering 219,000 rai of land a non-hunting area. The huge conservation area – covering Si Sawat and…
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Police wife accused of swindling 110,000 baht from Burmese novice
The wife of a police officer has been accused of swindling 110,000 baht from a 10 year old Burmese novice monk. The Ministry of Justice awarded the child the allowance after his father was jailed for murdering his mother. The arresting officer took pity on the boy, named Marwin, and asked his wife to submit guardianship forms so they could…
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Thailand still needs thousands more tourism workers
Thailand still needs thousands more tourism workers than it already has. The kingdom’s Labour Ministry recently surveyed the labour demands of 32,359 tourism operators in 60 provinces. The ministry found that out of all the operators, 1,817 businesses needed a total of 9,763 more workers. Employers need receptionists, porters, waiters, cleaners and housemaids, chefs, kitchen workers, cashiers, and accountants. The…
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Volunteer teaching English to underprivileged children in Bangkok
Bangkok Community Help Foundation runs a weekly volunteer-led class that aims to teach English and improve the lives of underprivileged children in the Klong Toei area of the city. Children learn new English vocabulary, play games, dance Zumba, and do arts and crafts projects in a fun environment. At the end of each class, students are provided with a hot…
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Burmese migrant worker killed en route to Malaysia
A Burmese man was killed and six others were injured this morning when a Toyota Fortuner bound for the Malaysian border rear-ended a truck in the Tha Chana district in the north of Surat Thani province in the early hours. The accident occurred at the 120-kilometre marker on southbound Highway 4. Police and rescue workers arriving on the scene found…
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Cannabis in Thailand: A Guide for Tourists
Thailand’s crazy cannabis laws can be difficult to navigate so the Ministry of Public Health has issued a guide titled “10 Things Tourists Need to Know About Cannabis in Thailand” to help budding cannabis tourists stay out of trouble. Since the marijuana plant (“Gancha” in Thai language) was removed from Thailand’s list of Category 5 Narcotics on June 9 this…
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Teen shoots dead rival with 800 baht gun in central Thailand
A Thai teenager used a gun he ordered from the Internet for 800 baht to shoot dead his rival in Samut Prakan province in central Thailand on Friday morning. The 17 year old culprit, Champ, killed 28 year old Kittisak, a YouTuber and former vocational student, with a single gunshot wound to the chest through his back at his own…
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Protester jailed for burning King’s portrait
The food delivery rider who attempted to burn a portrait of King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida during a protest in July 2021 has been sentenced to three and half years in prison. The court ruled that a portrait of the king is equivalent to the king’s person. Foodpanda delivery rider Sitthichok Sethasavet set fire to a portrait of King Vajiralongkorn…
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Thaiger Unfiltered | Ask Us Anything
Here’s a chance for our viewers to ask Natty, and Jay any questions they have, and they will answer you with their honest responses unfiltered! Please be kind and appropriate.
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2 excise officers arrested in 300,000 baht ransom kidnapping case
Two excise officers and one of their friends were arrested yesterday after they kidnapped a phone shop worker and held her to a 300,000 baht ransom in the central province of Samut Prakarn. A Chinese man, Wu Yiwen, filed a complaint at Mueang Samut Prakarn Police Station yesterday at 3.30pm. The 31 year old said the kidnapping incident happened at…
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Thailand, an interfaith paradise?
Today’s Pakistan Observer provides an interesting insight into Thailand as an interfaith paradise, seen from overseas, but not through the more usual Western lens. In Pakistan, Thailand is seen as a paradise of interfaith tolerance, and perhaps it is. Former Head of the Department of International Relations & Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University of Bangkok Prof. Dr Jaran Maluleem…
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Walk-in driving license services now available in Thailand
Obtaining a new driving license or renewing an old one just got easier in Thailand. Walk-in services are now available at transport offices nationwide without the need to book an appointment, according to the Department of Land Transport (DLT). Anyone wanting to renew their Thai driving license can obtain an ‘eLearning’ theoretical training certificate through the DLT’s website, which also…
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‘Big Joke’ moves on Chinese passport forgers
The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, swooped on Chinese passport forgers hiding at the Bangkok residence of a Nauruan diplomat. Onassis Dame, consul-general to Thailand from the tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru, and his family no longer live there, according to Radio Free Asia. Instead, the residence, which investigators raided on December 22,…
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Pet-loving couple accidently imprison themselves in a dog cage (video)
A hilarious video of a pet-loving couple from California locking themselves in a dog cage has gone viral. Hats off to Stephanie Ferrari for posting the priceless video on TikTok @stephanieiferrari and allowing the rest of the world to laugh at her mishap. Pet lover Stephanie and her husband are seen in their home with three dog cages. He husband,…
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Phuket man threatens wife from leaving house at knifepoint
A man in Phuket allegedly used a knife to threaten his wife and prevent her from leaving their house yesterday. Kathu Police said they were alerted that a man was using a knife to force his wife to remain inside the house on Soi Ketho Soi 6, The Phuket News reported. Fifteen officers arrived at the house with long-handled prongs.…
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Man arrested for stealing over 10 million baht in valuables at a fitness centre
A thief who stole over 10 million baht of valuables from a businessman at a fitness centre two weeks ago was arrested yesterday. The man pretended to be a fitness centre customer, stole safety box keys, and duplicated the keys to complete a series of thefts. On Tuesday, January 10, 35 year old businessman, Sathit, filed a complaint at Mueang Nonthaburi…
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